December 2018 | Page 2 of 5

Five Examples Of Brands Using Geofencing To Great Effect

December 18, 2018, 06:00AM

Geofencing—a location-data service that creates a zone around a specific geographic area for the purpose of advertisement targeting, is a relatively new but powerful marketing tactic. Thanks to consumer demand for deals and personalization, and marketers’ desire to penetrate consumer’s smartphones, geofencing is increasing exponentially.

A Market Research Future report predicts the global geofencing market to grow to $2.2 billion by 2023.

Geofencing is found across all sectors, but travel, banking, retail and quick-service restaurants have jumped on the technology early and set the standard.

Let’s look at five examples of brands creating successful geofencing campaigns to attract shoppers and expand brand recognition.

HotelTonight Catches Users Location

HotelTonight is a great, basic example of using geofencing in a product. The company is famous for providing its app users with information about the best open accommodations. The service uses consumer’s cellular GPS data and delivers accurate, location-based content.

In the case study published by Fastly—a cloud computing platform—HotelTonight’s rails engineering lead, Harlow Ward, says of the company’s experience with location data intelligence, “There was a big unknown for us with the geofencing approach. We’d toyed with the idea of geofencing requests for some time. As with all new features on the platform we A/B tested it and the performance increase was astonishing.”

HotelTonight’s app is also equipped with two geo-discount features. The Rate Drop tool turns on after 3 pm, when the customer happens to be in a few miles away from a participating hotel. With Rate Drop the customer is getting an additional 10 to 40 percent discount on accommodation. Bonus Rate, the other feature, enables more remote users who require a larger budget to see deeper discount rates for a hotel than the users nearby.

Waze Pins 76 Gas Stations

Navigation app Waze is another simplistic example of geofencing. The company works with numerous leading brands, including Shell, McDonald’s, Adidas and AT&T to literally put them on the map using geofencing. Waze Ads’ service slogan says it all: “Location marketing, with context.”

With the help of Waze Ads, 76 fuel chain brought their marketing campaign, TANK5, to drivers in California by pinning their recognizable orange and blue logo to stations on the Waze map. The drivers were offered a limited-time, one in five chance to win money at the gas stations. As they were approaching a 76 gas station, a message promoting 76 stations popped-up.

Sephora Offers a Store Companion

Sephora’s “store companion” geofencing feature is also another example of a smart location-data solution. The companion turns on as soon as the customer walks into the store. It gives the customer access to information on their past purchases, product recommendations and reviews, limited-edition offers, wish-list product availability, as well as store experiences and happenings on that day. Using geofence technology, the Sephora app increases customer satisfaction and loyalty by creating excellent daily mobile content, including location-targeted messages. If a user has an unspent gift card, they can expect a reminder from the app when they enter the geofenced zone close to Sephora.

Dunkin’ Creates A Personalized Snapchat Geofilter

Dunkin’s use of a personalized Snapchat geo filter to celebrate National Donut Day is another successful example of geofencing marketing tactics. Snapchat filters allow brands to demonstrate their creative abilities and personalities, as well as provide the app users with cartoonish, sharable experiences.

Dunkin’s filter, which could only be accessed in-store or via the “Snap to Unlock” feature, turned the user’s head into a gigantic pink donut inhaling sprinkles. This campaign resulted in the company gaining 10 times more Snapchat followers on National Donut Day than their monthly average.

Burger King Trolls McDonald’s

And of course, the most recent and impressive example is Burger King’s “Whopper Detour,” which involved building a 600-feet fence around McDonald’s restaurants. Burger King encouraged its customers to go to McDonald’s, but with a twist. As soon as they entered the “fence,” they could unlock a deal for a one-cent Whopper burger on the Burger King app.

The risky promotion resulted in Burger King app being downloaded over 1,000,000 times and boosted from ninth to first place in the Apple App Store’s food and drink category.

Popeyes Launches ‘Emotional Support Chicken’ For Holiday Travelers

BY Jacqueline Fernandez

December 18, 2018, 03:00AM

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen launched a cheeky, humorous holiday travel campaign with its ‘Emotional Support Chicken,’ a new carrier for its three-piece chicken combo. The paper box is in the shape of a chicken with an emotional support vest and is available to those traveling through the Philadelphia Airport, one of the country’s busiest airports.

The fast-food company got their idea from travelers “pushing the envelope” and taking all sorts of animals, like peacocks, squirrels and tarantulas as emotional support animals on planes. The animals provide comfort and companionship, so it makes sense to make fried chicken—traditionally seen as comfort food—as a travel buddy.

Though it may ruffle some feathers, Popeyes says it’s all in good fun.

“We hope to bring travelers a good laugh and a hot meal to ease the stress of holiday travel,” said Hope Diaz, chief marketing officer of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

This is not the first time Popeyes has used tongue-in-cheek marketing. In November, the QSR offered a 12-hour drive-thru in honor of its 12-hour marinating process. Fans looking for a road trip could place their order at the standalone menu board along Interstate 10 outside of Fort Stockton, Texas, but, they had to pick up their order in New Orleans—12 hours away.

Once they arrived in New Orleans, they were met with a band to rejoice their accomplishment.

Popeyes also cooked up a fancy recipe with its 24-karat gold battered chicken. The boneless wings were also dipped in champagne. Like the Emotional Support Chicken, it wasn’t available nationwide.

“Popeyes is a brand born in Louisiana, that takes pride in its heritage and authenticity. We are festive and lively, with southern charm and light-hearted humor,” said Diaz.

Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits became Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2008. The former chief brand officer told Nation’s Restaurant News that changing the name and logo was “just one step in elevating the brand.” He also noted Popeyes had an advantage over its competitors with its spicier option. The demand for spicier options has been blamed on millennials.

No word on if the Emotional Support Chicken will make an appearance at other airports, for now Philadelphia Airport travelers will be the exclusive patrons. The city of Philadelphia has seen its fair share of marketing fun lately.

IBM Watson’s 2019 Marketing Trends Include Balance Of Data And Emotion

BY H.B. Duran

December 17, 2018, 04:21PM

Marketing will be determined by the customer in 2019 as CMOs and digital agencies adapt to “The Emotion Economy,” IBM Watson predicts. IBM Watson Marketing identified nine trends to look out for in the coming year, including the continuance of personalization trends and the dawn of data mastery.

Not surprisingly, IBM places emphasis on artificial intelligence, of which it offers solutions. Other observations, however, mirror recent analyst predictions that brands will strive for customer trust, agile marketing and use GDPR to one’s advantage.

Marrying Emotion With Data

Consumers are largely driven by how they feel when making purchases and this is especially true for young generations.

“When customers are engaged emotionally, they are much more compelled to take the actions that drive business,” writes IBM Watson Marketing. “If a brand wants to sustain that growth, it must pull these emotional triggers again and again.”

Those triggers could be standing for or against a hot topic, as demonstrated by Nike, or coming together for the greater good. A recent study by Accenture Strategy found that 62 percent of customers want companies to take a stand on current and broadly relevant issues such as sustainability, transparency and fair employment practices.

Likewise, customers appreciate it when a brand “gets them.” Customer experience (CX) is the new funnel—strengthening existing relationships and creating lifetime value rather than focusing on single transactions.

2019 will be the age of the tech-savvy marketer, IBM Watson Marketing predicts, and fate will favor the AI-powered strategy. Predictions, tests and deep customer history dives will allow CMOs to make educated decisions, balancing personalization with agility.

“If a brand wants to sustain that growth, it must pull these emotional triggers again and again.”

Enter The “Martecheter”

Between ever-changing consumer landscapes and GDPR, it’s no wonder that “director of marketing data” is this year’s hottest new role. This leadership position will take on the role of a bridge between data integration, collection and analysis.

In short, marketing leaders must be fluent in both marketing and martech. Single-skilled marketers can no longer function in today’s fast-paced, digital world. IBM cited a gap between digital and corporate marketers—General Assembly marketing assessments found that digital marketers outscored their corporate counterparts by 73 percent.

“Operational nimbleness combined with cross-disciplinary marketers” can support a growing ecosystem of purpose-built marketing tools, IBM Watson noted, placing an emphasis on the uniqueness of every business model and customer base.

As technology continues to advance, CMOs have to do the same, Equinox CMO Vimla Gupta told AList in a recent interview.

“This job is changing on a dime every single day,” said Gupta. “It is becoming increasingly technical. Understanding how the technology can help you and how to use it, how to invest in it, recruit the right people or partner with the right agency is critical.”

Mobile Devs More Optimistic About In-Game Ads Than Two Years Ago

BY H.B. Duran

December 17, 2018, 12:03PM

Mobile game developers are still torn on whether advertisements are a monetization opportunity or necessary evil. According to deltaDNA’s annual ad survey, developers are more confident overall in their marketing strategies but struggle to balance ad revenue with player experience.

DeltaDNA has published the results of its annual in-game advertising survey. The study, which surveyed 336 developers in the mobile free-to-play (F2P) market, examines how ad strategies have evolved over the last several years.

Respondents were split nearly 50/50 between those developing casual titles (55 percent) versus core games (45 percent).

Casual games tend to host more advertising than core titles at 95 percent and 76 percent, respectively. Developers of casual titles are more aggressive with advertising strategies, the survey found. Ads are shown to players during the first session, although a majority of respondents claim to show only one ad per session thereafter.

Rewarded videos, which grant players in-game bonuses for watching an ad, account for the highest usage rate among respondents at 65 percent. Interstitial and banner ads round out the top three, although banner ads are on the decline, deltaDNA notes. Playable ads serve as miniature game demos and are favored by 21 percent of respondents compared to 12 percent in 2017.

When choosing an ad strategy, the biggest concern among both casual and core developers was player churn, followed by lower levels of player enjoyment. Core game developers were particularly concerned about the impact of ads on in-app purchases (IAP), while casual titles were worried about app store ratings.

Regardless of concerns, in-game advertising plays a major role in developer income and even higher than last year. In 2017, only 10 percent of casual games earned more than 80 percent of their revenue from ads, but this year, that number jumps to 16 percent. Likewise, half of core games made more than 20 percent of total revenue from advertising but that number jumps to 70 percent in 2018.

A majority of ads are sourced from multiple networks, the survey found, with 59 percent citing between two and five. Over the last three similar surveys, this number has dropped 10 percent overall. In fact, more respondents used a large number of ad networks last year and now 27 percent turn to a single source.

Developers have become more confident in their advertising strategies. A majority of respondents view these strategies as “balanced,” followed by “experimental.” The number of developers who consider themselves as “confident” has grown by 55 percent.

In 2016, deltaDNA asked developers if they viewed advertising as a “necessary evil.” Just over half said yes at the time, compared to 36 percent today.

A Look Back At The Past Decade Of Online Magazine Evolution

BY AW360

December 14, 2018, 02:20PM

Originally published at AW360 by Mario Peshev.

Online magazines, formerly referred to as “ezines” or “webzines,” have penetrated the digital space since the ’90s, growing in popularity over the coming two decades.

With the growing popularity of the Internet and increased use of personal computers, consumers have gradually transferred to consuming information online. Traditional print magazines had to consider the digital presence of their brands to stay relevant and retain their loyal offline audience.

Fast-forward to 2018, the web looks and works differently. Social media is a major source of traffic alongside organic search, mobile sites are the standard, advertising revenue is substituted with memberships and strategic partnerships. Here’s how the web changed over the past 10 years.

2008

Desktop computers were the main source of consuming Internet content. While laptops were gaining traction fast, the average speeds of 3.6 Mbit/s in most corporate offices and homes were still prohibitive for mobile consumers (in addition to the poor user experience on the mobile devices to date).

AARP was a leading online player among consumer magazines, with National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and People gathering large audiences in the millions of monthly users. Traditional magazines have switched from launching separate online versions supplementing their print issues to releasing their content online — as paid online subscriptions or releasing old prints for free.

Facebook went live in 2006 and some brands have started promoting through the social network in 2008 and 2009. Language and geographical targeting were announced soon after, helping publishers reach their ideal audience online.

2009 – 2010

A few major events have marked the beginning of a new decade at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010.

The launch of iPads in 2010 has shaken the reign of desktop computing for good. While smartphones have been slowly making their way in the digital bandwidth space, tablets were the natural continuation of mobile devices with sufficient screen size for actual work.

Apple’s notorious brand and its loyal followers helped launching the first two iPad issues, Time in April and Wired in June 2010.

And do you remember Flash? Around that same time, Digital Magazine Awards was won by iFly Magazine, an interactive landing page with animations and floating buttons running on the proprietary Adobe Flash framework.

And iPhones have never supported Flash. But mobile traffic was merely 1 percent in 2010, and Flash was both a hatred toolkit and one of the few popular ways of building interactive online apps. And the world was split into purely web versions of magazines and an iPad-specific app for every brand.

2011 – 2012

Monetizing online content was hard, especially when hiring professional journalists and writers. The New York Times announced their premium subscription in 2011, along with a wave of other media outlets launching paid plans or freemium reads.

Jakob Nielsen’s report on the usability of websites and tablets released in 2011 outlines multiple problems with iPad editions of online magazines building specific apps for the iPad:

Touchable areas in many apps are too narrow
There’s a high rate of incorrect activities due to wrongful touches
Discovery isn’t intuitive due to poor UX
Inconvenient writing on iPads compared to computers is affecting the registration process

Suddenly, the growth of tablet use was questioned. Poor UX was leading to lower adoption, and insufficient writing capabilities made the sign-up process (and certain forms of payments) obsolete or simply cumbersome.

2013 – 2015

Thus, Mashable announced 2013 the year of Responsive Design, strongly suggesting that all websites can (and should) go mobile-friendly with little to no effort thanks to technological advancements over the past years.

The ad-driven model has become wildly successful and ruled the world, but facing additional oppression by ad stoppers. AdBlock was first introduced in 2009, it wasn’t as popular yet and Internet Explorer was still a dominant browser for a few years, but Google Chrome took over and became the leading browser supplementing the #1 search engine with a powerful collection of free browser apps (extensions).

Publishers kept mixing ad-driven content with premium subscriptions or donations, sometimes with additional reads and private articles available for premium users only. Luckily, hosting fees have become more affordable over the past years, making scalability a slightly cheaper process. The peak of guest blogging for SEO and personal branding reasons was also a secret trick into releasing more high-quality content at little to no cost from external contributors—a concept that was barely touched on during the early years.

2016 – 2018

As compared to 2010, trends have evidently shifted into a new realm.

While Internet Explorer accounted for 60 percent of all traffic in 2010, it struggled retaining 10 percent market share for long. The 1 percent mobile traffic use in 2010 grew to 40 percent in 2016, and TechCrunch reported in November that mobile traffic surpasses desktop for the first time.

Google Chrome replaces Internet Explorer and accounts for 66 percent of all browsers in the latest months. Research in 2016 reports over 600 million devices using Adblock, many of whose mobile as well. Magazines relying solely on ad revenue have been struggling to retain the same revenue and grow slowly with steady traffic but a wider adoption of different ad blockers.

Medium, one of the largest publishing contributing networks, announced a paid membership model in early 2017.

The U.S. presidential election of 2016 brought a mix of uncertainty in social networks like Facebook followed by a set of crisis PR questioning the authority and privacy of content and users hosted on the social network. Coincidentally, Facebook step on the wrong foot with its trial experiments for launching a separate “Explore” feed for pages that users like, sinking the traffic of groups and pages with loyal following.

This led to a strategic shift to membership mixed in with other creative advertisement techniques. The New York Times announced over 3.5 million subscribers, with 300,000 added early in 2017. After the Trump election, other media sources like The Washington Post and The New Yorker have all reported a positive influx of subscribers.

Uncertainties in social media exposure (and the reliability of fan pages) led to discovering new advertorial opportunities. Publishers solely relying on Facebook looked into other networks that work better, including Snapchat, Quora’s new advertising platform and link features, Taboola or Outbrain. Google’s DFP capabilities were pushed to the maximum, leading to a renowned update called Google Ad Manager.

Due to hefty charges on the ad front, header bidding gained popularity, with programmatic solutions like RTK.io gaining adoption and hundreds of billions of ad impressions monthly on top of DFP or self-hosted ad platforms. This led to additional opportunities for sticky and adhesion ad units, implementing flexible layouts for galleries and infinite scroll pages, and other UX improvements supplemented with powerful caching mechanisms. This goes both for traffic arbitrage strategies by some and proven revenue generation for SEO-optimized publishers with plenty of organic or email-derived traffic.

What’s Next?

The dynamic evolution of publishing over the past years have brought technological, creative, and advertorial innovation to major digital publishers.

The growth of machine learning now allows for AI-driven opportunities for related posts, personalized newsletters, and customized user feeds.
Voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home, along with Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby, have significantly increased the voice search traffic, strengthening the importance of featured snippets in Google and content optimized for audio consumption.
YouTube took the second place among the largest search engines, increasing the importance of video content within posts, video slideshows, and video-first content transcribed as a post-factum.

Facebook Wants To Sell HBO Subscriptions; Pinterest Ads On The Rise

BY AList Staff

December 14, 2018, 09:05AM

This week in social media news, Facebook is in talks to sell premium TV, surprises New Yorkers with privacy advice, tests search ads and makes life event posts more elaborate, Pinterest is inspiring US marketers, Instagram adds voice messaging feature to DM’s and Facebook might predict where you’re going. Also, the government is definitely watching your Twitter, Instagram offers data to creators and Snapchat partners with Adidas with augmented reality.

Facebook In Talks To Offer HBO, Other TV Subscriptions

Purchasing HBO and other premium TV subscriptions may soon be available on social networks like Facebook beginning next year, Recode reports.

Why it matters: TV and social media have strong ties, especially during live episodes and around premieres. Facebook understandably wants to get in on that action as it continues its push for Facebook Watch and other video offerings—not to mention another stream of revenue. The question is, why would users pay to watch HBO on Facebook when they can watch it on HBO Now? Social integration could be the key.

Details: Facebook is in talks to act as a reseller for premium TV channels including HBO, Showtime and Starz, sources told Recode. Subscribers would then be able to watch the channels on Facebook, most likely from the Watch hub.

Pinterest Will Attract 32 Percent Of US Marketers This Year

The number of US marketers that use Pinterest continues to rise, according to predictions by eMarketer.

Why it matters: Pinterest leverages consumers’ needs to discover new ideas organically, but with the help of a clever recommendation engine. In February, Pinterest reported that there were 600 million monthly visual searches on its platform, a 140 percent increase from 250 million a year earlier. Marketers are taking advantage of the site’s rising popularity through integrated Pins and ecommerce.

Details: EMarketer forecasts that 31.9 percent of US marketers will use Pinterest in 2018, up from 29.1 percent in 2017. As a result, Pinterest’s US ad revenues are expected to reach $553.3 million in 2018.

Facebook Brings ‘Privacy Pop-up’ To Manhattan

Facebook has set up shop in Manhattan’s Bryant Park to hand out hot cocoa and answer questions about privacy.

Why it matters: While advertisers continue to spend on the platform, user sentiment has dropped and youngsters are leaving in favor of Instagram and Snapchat. Facebook has already hosted these pop-up events in London, Dubai, Dublin, Ireland and Cologne, Germany. Face-to-face contact with users allows the brand to address concerns and make a more intimate connection.

Details: Facebook users can find the brand set-up in Manhattan’s Bryant Park Thursday, where team members will answer questions and demonstrate how to navigate the site’s privacy settings.

Instagram Offers More Data To Influencers With Creator Accounts

Select Instagram users are being offered “Creator Accounts” that provide access to data normally reserved for businesses.

Why it matters: One of the biggest complaints popular Snapchat users had was that the company didn’t treat them as an asset or provide data that could help them drive traffic. While Snapchat is slowly trying to remedy this, Instagram became a popular alternative for creators looking for more statistics such as follower counts. With Creator Accounts, influencers can access even more information that will help drive personal business decisions.

Details: Instagram has offered a select number of creators the opportunity to try its new “Creator Account.” The move recognizes influencers as entrepreneurs and allows them to sort messages, review data and more. The test will roll out to more high-profile users in 2019.

Snapchat Partners With Adidas For Trying On Virtual Shoes

Adidas has launched a sponsored AR lens that lets users “try on” the new Ultraboost 19 shoes before they hit stores.

Why it matters: Augmented reality continues to surpass VR adoption for several reasons, one of which is the ease in which a user can visualize purchases. This is reportedly the first time in which Snapchat has offered a shoe filter. Snapchat is leveraging its popular Lens feature to encourage ecommerce and attract high-paying brand partners.

Details: Snapchat users can see what the new Adidas Ultraboost 19 runners look like on their feet, thanks to a sponsored Lens. The shoes go on sale December 15, but the AR effect lets users imagine what they would look like on their feet. Tapping on the Adidas logo in the menu bar of Snapchat’s lenses activates the AR experience. It starts with an unboxing video, then lets people try them on or get more information.

Governments Demand More Info From Twitter, The Company Reports

Alongside its Transparency Report, Twitter said that global governments are requesting more information than in previous years.

Why it matters: Government interference has been a tradition since the invention of the government. However, in a digital age, users are much more aware of the implications and social media makes spreading propaganda as easy as a mouse click. On the flip side, governments in which freedom of expression is much more limited are demanding more takedowns.

Details: Twitter reported that it received 6,904 government requests for information on 16,882 accounts. Demands do not necessarily warrant a response, however. Twitter turned over at least some data in 56 percent of cases. The US requested the most information, followed by Japan and the UK. Turkey and Russia requested the most takedowns of data.

Facebook Tests Ads In Search Results

Advertisers may soon have the ability to choose search results as a placement option for advertising.

Why it matters: As more advertisers shift funds to Instagram, Facebook is on the lookout for new marketing real estate. Search result ads appear with a “sponsored” label, much like Google Adwords.

Details: A small beta test is being conducted in the US and Canada for retail and automotive brands. Participants can select “search results” as a placement option on static image and carousel ads, but no video at this time. Should the test prove successful, Facebook could roll out the new placement to other brands and regions.

Life Events Get Special Treatment On Facebook

Life events from getting a new job to losing a loved one can now be shared in a more creative way.

Why it matters: Life event posts encourage users to engage with one another and will most likely serve as a flag for advertising data, i.e. new families, new job, etc.

Details: Facebook announced new ways to commemorate moments in a user’s life. This includes animated photos and videos. Users can select images from a gallery of provided artwork, their own images or those belonging to tagged friends and Pages. An icon can be added to represent the update and the post will be prominently displayed on a user’s profile.

No Need To Type, Instagram Brings Voice Messaging To DM’s

Instagram added a voice messaging feature to its direct messages.

Why it matters: Instagram finally caught up to Facebook–they’ve had the feature in its Messenger platform for a long time. However, voice messages are the favored way of communication, so better to be late than never, right?

Details: Users can record messages by holding down the microphone button and instantly send once you release the button. Don’t like the embarrassing thing you recorded? Don’t freak out, users can re-record by sliding your finger over to the trash can button to delete it.

Instagram Focuses On Hashtags To Create #InstaGiftGuide

#InstaGiftGuide pairs 34 gift-worthy products and six 2018 hashtag trends to create a holiday shopping guide.

Why it matters: There are a lot of products on Instagram and many ways to shop, so it can hard to narrow down on gift ideas. #InstaGiftGuide makes it easier by searching famous hashtags like #catsofinstagram.

Details: Instagram combined its essential elements, brands and hashtags, to develop the #InstaGiftGuide. Earlier this year, the platform developed two new ways to shop via stories and its shopping channel in Explore. Among the hashtags linked to the #InstaGiftGuide are #tutting, #oddlysatisfying and #vaporwave.

Facebook Filed Three Patents To Figure Out Your Next Move

Location tracking is going up a notch and Facebook wants to figure out your next move.

Why it matters: Facebook wants to advertise to users in the best way and it includes when you’ll be offline and where you’re going after work. This might not be uneasy news for some, after Facebook’s notorious security breach exposed the personal information of over 50 million users.

Details: Facebook has filed several patent applications in order to figure out when a user is going next and when they’ll be offline. The first patent “Office Trajectories” describes a tech method that predicts where a user is going based on previously logged locations. The second patent “Location Prediction Using Wireless Signals on Online Social Networks,” gauges the strength of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular and near-field communication (NFC) signals to figure out your location–more precisely than GPS. Its third patent focuses on targeted advertising based on movement patterns, so it will alert you to promotions if you’ve visited two locations related to another pairing.

Snapchat Tests New Photo Features

Snapchat is testing several camera features that originated on Instagram.

Why it matters: Instagram took everything Snapchat was famous for and ran with it, leaving the disappearing-message app in a tough position competitively. Two can play at that game, but can Snapchat play the game well?

Details: As spotted by developer and social media sleuth Jane Manchun Wong, Snapchat is testing several camera modes: portrait, gridline, batch and timer. Portrait mode–those selfies blurred background–are all the rage, so as a “camera company,” Snapchat is wise to catch up.

YouTube Rewind Is The Sites’ Second-Most Disliked in History

YouTube’s attempt at celebrating its creators backfired when it excluded some of the year’s most-watched content.

Why it matters: Bt excluding creators that got into hot water, audiences felt that YouTube was being disingenuous and catering only to potential advertisers.

Details: Each year, YouTube creates a montage that pays tribute to its creators and most notable moments in the last 12 months. When audiences viewed the collection, however, they didn’t appreciate the absence of notable creators. PewDiePie and Logan Paul, among others. Leaving certain offenders out of the annual video could be meant to discourage repeat performances, but many audience members felt disappointed that rising starts were omitted.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, December 14. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

This Week’s Exec Shifts: Chevrolet CMO Announces Retirement; Clorox Shifts Marketing Team

BY H.B. Duran

December 14, 2018, 09:00AM

This week’s executive moves include the CMO of Chevrolet planning retirement, a new VP, chief marketing officer for Madison Square Garden Company, Chili’s promoting for head of marketing, Wag! hiring its first marketing chief, Clorox promoting its CMO and appointing another, VidCon appointing its first marketing VP, RCA Music hires an SVP of marketing, La Madeline promotes for VP of marketing, the Philadelphia Fliers picks up marketer for president of business operations and FedEx’s CMO will become the brand’s new CEO.

Check out our careers section for executive job openings and to post your own staffing needs.

Chevrolet CMO To Retire March 1

Tim Mahoney will retire from his position as chief marketing officer of Chevrolet and leader of GM’s global marketing operations effective March 1, 2019. Mahoney has served in the position since 2012 and helped lead the brand into global markets under the campaign “Find New Roads.”

Prior to his time at GM, he held marketing leadership roles at Porsche, Subaru and Volkswagon.

MSG Company Appoints VP, Chief Marketing Officer

Madison Square Garden Company has named Geraldine Calpin as the new vice president and chief marketing officer, effective immediately. Calpin joins the brand from WeWork, where she also served as chief marketing officer. Her experience also includes 16 years at Hilton Worldwide.

As VP and chief marketing officer, Calpin will set an overall marketing and digital vision for MSG and work closely with the company’s executive management team for delivering brand strategies and digital platforms to engage customers.

Save The Cat! Names First CMO

Screenwriting structure brand Save the Cat! has named its first chief marketing officer, Jason Kolinsky. A Cannes Lions award-winning marketer, Kolinksy has served as a consultant to Save the Cat! since last May. Prior to that, he led numerous marketing efforts for agencies including MRM McCann and BBDO Worldwide.

The hire comes at a pivotal time for the late Blake Snyder’s creative brand, as Save the Cat! just announced its first screenwriting competition and released Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, which became #1 on Amazon.

Chili’s Promotes For Head Of Marketing

Ellie Doty has been promoted to the role of SVP, head of marketing for Chili’s Bar & Grill. Doty has been with the restaurant brand since June of 2017 when she joined as vice president of marketing and culinary. Prior to joining Chili’s, Doty served as director of marketing for KFC and brand manager for Taco Bell.

Wag! Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

On-demand dog walking brand Wag! has named Kevin Frisch its first CMO. Frisch joins Wag! from Uber where he served as head of performance marketing and CRM for North America.

Prior to Uber, Frisch also separately served as CMO for GSN Games and Snapfish, and he was also head of marketing at ProFlowers for a number of years.

Clorox Shifts Marketing Executive Team

The Clorox Company announced several changes to its executive team on Monday, including the CMO. These shifts will take effect on January 7, 2019.

Stacey Grier has been promoted to senior vice president and chief marketing officer. She currently serves as vice president of brand engagement and enhanced wellness marketing.

Eric Reynolds has been promoted to executive vice president of Cleaning and Burt’s Bees. Reynolds previously served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. In this new role, Reynolds will have responsibility for the Laundry, Home Care, Professional Products and Burt’s Bees businesses.

IKEA Promotes CMO To General Manager

Global chief marketing and communications officer Claudia Willvonseder has been promoted to general manager for IKEA’s Swiss operations. Willvonseder has been with the retailer since 2006 and held a variety of marketing roles before her appointment of chief marketing officer in 2014.

Channel 4 Marketing Chief Exits

Britain’s Channel 4 has announced the early 2019 departure of chief marketing and communications officer (CMCO) Dan Brooke. He exits after eight years in the role, during which time he earned numerous awards including a Cannes Lions Grand Prix in 2016.

Brooke is leaving to launch a purpose-driven marketing and comms business.

VidCon Appoints First VP Of Marketing

VidCon has named Sarah Tortoreti as vice president of marketing. Tortoreti joins the video creators convention from Viacom’s Nickelodeon, where she served as director of marketing and brand strategy for just over two years. VidCon was acquired by Viacom in early 2018.

In this newly created role, Tortoreti will be responsible for the development and management of all aspects of the VidCon brand. This includes overseeing its global marketing strategies across social media and editorial content, as well as internal and external communications.

RCA Music Names SVP Marketing

Archie Davis has been appointed to the role of senior vice president of marketing at RCA Records. Davis is currently CEO of creative agency and production company Six Course.

As SVP of marketing, Davis will oversee marketing campaigns for the company’s artist repertoire. This includes ensuring artists are supported by the right creative resources to grow their brands and careers.

GWS Giants Appoints Interim Marketing Head

Rebecca Hamilton has taken a temporary 12-month role with the Greater West Sydney Giants as head of marketing and experience. She covers for Samantha Blomeley, who is out on maternity leave. Hamilton was previously media director at media agency Bohemia.

Despite the temporary position, Giants’ chief fan and commercial officer Ryan Kaveney said he was thrilled to welcome Hamilton, saying: “With the Giants being based in such a highly competitive entertainment landscape as Sydney, we pride ourselves on being a club like no other and we are excited about what Rebecca can bring to the club.”

FedEx CMO To Succeed CEO Upon Retirement

Raj Subramaniam, currently executive vice president, chief marketing and communications officer of FedEx Corporation, will succeed CEO David Cunningham effective January 1, 2019. Subramaniam has been with FedEx for more than 27 years and has held various executive level positions in several of our operating companies and international regions.

LA Madeline Promotes For VP Marketing

La Madeleine French Bakery & Café has announced the promotion of Jacqueline O’Reilly to vice president of marketing. O’Reilly assumed leadership of the marketing team in January of 2017. Prior to joining the company, O’Reilly served as an account supervisor at TracyLocke, for Pizza Hut, Hewlett-Packard and Sonic Drive-In. She has also served as brand spokesperson for the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

Philadelphia Flyers Taps Nationals’ Marketing Chief

Valerie Camillo has joined the Philadelphia Flyers as president of business operations. Camillo was the chief revenue and marketing officer of the Philadelphia Nationals. Before joining the Nationals, Camillo had served as the senior vice president of team marketing and business operations for the NBA.

In this new role, Camillo will also oversee operations at the team’s arena, the Wells Fargo Center

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, December 14. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies

Executive Director, Chief Marketing Officer	Lenovo	Chicago, IL
Global Head (CMO) of Print Marketing	HP	Palo Alto, CA
Vice President, Marketing Strategy and Project Management	Paramount Pictures	Hollywood, CA
Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Origins North America	Estée Lauder	Virtual, USA
Head of Integrated Marketing, Fire TV	Amazon	Seattle, WA
VP, Retail Marketing	Yamaha	Buena Park, CA

Make sure to check back for updates on our Careers page.

12 Dank Marketing Memes That Illustrate 2018

BY Matthew Downes

December 13, 2018, 04:58PM

We’re closing out 2018 with 12 dank marketing memes, specially curated for the unique tastes of those discerning chief meme officers out there. Gladden your heart with such AList favorites as “Lil Brandz,” “Twitter Musk” and “Papa John + Crying Cat,” and peruse our reading list to explore the inspiration behind the memes.

May your ROI be merry and bright. Happy New Year!

#1. Much Like The Flywheel Itself, This Meme Is Not Simply A Metaphor: It’s A Way Of Life

Sometimes you gotta pivot.

#2. Because GDPR Had To Be On This List

Your newly minted Chief Data Protection Officer had a lot to do this year.

#3. If Marketing Was Romaine Lettuce, Blockchain Was The ‘E. coli’ Of 2018

Ninety-nine percent of the time—it’s not.

#4. We Should Have Made This A Video Meme

It was too good to be true.

#5. Influencers Are So Hot Right Now

Special shoutout to everyone on TikTok.

#6. How Did We Get Here? And Where Are We Going?

Navigating the whole brands-having-personalities thing.

#7. Chief “Hide The Pain” Officer

Marketer-of-all-trades.

#8. What Kept You Up At Night

Thanks, programmatic!

#9. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Presented without comment.

#10. You Light Up My Life

Famous among moths.

#11. Introducing Unilever’s New CMO

Gritty Keith Weed.

#12. Lil Brandz

Wonder what’s in store for us all in 2019!

Reading list:

Well, that’s it. Want to make a suggestion or issue a cease and desist order? Did we miss the perfect marketing meme mashup? Did we totally blow it?

Let us know on Twitter @alistdaily.

Report: CMO Tenures Average 43 Months; Women Shift Roles More Often

BY H.B. Duran

December 13, 2018, 03:05PM

The CMO tenure is an average of just 43 months but tends to run longer for traditional business categories like financial and travel, according to Winmo’s CMO Lifecycle Report. Tracking the life cycle of the CEO and CMO positions will allow media sellers and other professionals to anticipate needs and pitch accordingly.

Winmo released its annual report for 2018 and suggests that agencies pay close attention to when a new marketing chief joins a company. The majority of agency reviews take place between six and 18 months after the appointment of a CMO, making this a critical time to make a good impression.

More CMOs rotate up and out of positions between 30 and 45 months, Winmo reports, calling it the “sweet spot.” As marketers approach that three-year anniversary, media sellers and other business professionals should keep an eye out for potential moves in the C-Suite.

“CMOs spend less time in their roles than Chief Executives do, meaning that marketing decision-makers have to move the needle faster and earlier than their C-suite counterparts do,” the report states.

Once CMO’s tenure reaches three years, sellers should look for the next-most senior marketers within the organization and start outreach, Winmo advises.

“There’s a good chance one of them might be the next CMO or have strong influences on anyone incoming to that role.”

The 2018 CMO Lifecycle Trends Report includes gender for the first time. Female marketing chiefs tend to leave earlier than their male counterparts, the report observed. CMO roles held by women average 37.5 months compared to 42.8 for men. Although there are slightly more men than women in the CMO position (58.4 percent vs. 41.6 percent), this role represents the most gender parity in the C-Suite. This is especially true for businesses that operate solely online.

How long a marketing chief remains in his/her position appears relative to the industry. Insurance brands have a longer average CMO tenure of 48 months, the report noted, and quick service restaurants (QSR) average 38 months.

Digital business providers like Amazon and Tinder represent a new category in Winmo’s data. This industry skews younger and more modern and high turnover is common. That being said, the average tenure of a digital business provider CMO is just 29 months, well below the overall average tenure.

Philadelphia Launches Holiday Campaign With First-Ever “Double Diptector”

BY Jacqueline Fernandez

December 12, 2018, 02:10PM

Philadelphia Cream Cheese launched a holiday advertising campaign that leads with a new spot highlighting the world’s first Double Diptector to catch those guilty of dipping their bitten chip a second time. The campaign is a new comedic approach for the company and aims to promote the brand as a snack food for parties and not just an ingredient for cheesecake or a bagel accompaniment.

The ad spot starts with the party host in her kitchen revealing how to throw the “perfect party” with the dips—then cuts to a guest double dipping and being caught, thanks to the double diptector.

The smart device—that looks like an average chip and dip bowl—pairs with the app to track and catch the double dipper. It alerts the app user with a loud alarm if someone commits the crime. The company actually invented the device and has put a version up for bidding on eBay.

“We wanted a fun, creative way to launch our new Philadelphia Dips that would tap into culture and become something that people could not only relate to, but want to talk about and share. Dips are highly relevant during the holidays and served at holiday parties and family gatherings,” said Megan Magnuson, Philadelphia associate marketing director.

The shift towards changing Philadelphia’s brand to an everyday food option was first noticed in their 2017 in the “It must be the Philly,” campaign. The ad shows office workers rushing into a budget meeting because there is cream cheese. Soon after, the brand rolled out cheesecake cups and prepacked chips with cream cheese dip.

The marketing effort illustrates the brand’s role in “elevating everyday occasions.” It was also the first campaign since the merger between Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz Co.

“The Philadelphia brand’s overall tone of voice is optimistic, warm, playful and real. As we’ve launched our new Philadelphia Dips, we leveraged a tone that is cheeky, smart and clever in a way that endears the brand to our consumer,” added Magnuson.

In the past, Philadelphia concentrated on presenting their ingredients—made with fresh milk, real cream and no preservatives. In 2014, the company redesigned their cream cheese packaging to make it more modern and appealing.

The brand is encouraging fans to weigh in on the double-dipping debate using #doublediptector on social media.